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Investigators mum on road rage killing evidence

Press conference revealed police feel there is no reason to link recent incidents

By Becky Metrick

bmetrick@publicopinionnews.com @BeckyMetrickPO on Twitter

Updated:
01/10/2014 06:07:40 PM EST

Pennsylvania Troop H Capt. Stephen Junkin, center, said that law enforcement in all three states are doing all they can to prevent this type of road rage incident from happening again. (Markell DeLoatch — Public Opinion)

Chambersburg >> Last weekend's road rage shooting death in Interstate-81 in Franklin County isn't related to other similar incidents in York County and Kentucky, investigators said at a news conference today.

Again they appealed for anyone with information of dark-colored Ford Ranger XLT with damage to the front drivers's side to contact them.

Pennsylvania State Police Capt. Steven Junkin said lab analysis of evidence from the I-81 shooting and the York County shooting ruled out the possibility that they were related, but he would not elaborate on what the evidence was. Junkin said investigators would not comment on any evidence, including the multiple 911 calls between Maryland and Pennsylvania that Timothy Davison made the night he was shot. Junkin did say police are examining those calls very closely.

State police also do not believe that the I-81 shooting was related to a similar shooting in Kentucky that killed an officer in May 2013, Junkin said.

Junkin said Davison, 28, of Poland, Maine, died of multiple gunshot wounds, but would not give specifics on the weapon used.

He reiterated that police believe this shooting was random.

"There is absolutely nothing to indicate that Mr. Davison did anything in any way to provoke this," Junkin said. "We believe that he was randomly selected."

Police described the suspect vehicle as a "darkish" Ford Ranger XLT with damage to the front of the driver's side, likely driven by a male, according to Junkin. He said production of the XLT production ended around 2005, so the vehicle is likely an older- model truck. Police issued an advisory to all auto body shops in the area, to keep watch for a matching vehicle. Junkin warned that if anyone finds themselves engaging with such a vehicle they should call 911 immediately.

Junkin said police are searching intensively in the tri-state area, and have looked at traffic cameras in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. They do not currently have a license plate for the Ranger, and Junkin said he was wary of releasing one in case it deterred people from reporting potential suspect vehicles. Police are not limiting the search to those three states, and encourage anyone from out of state with information pertaining to the investigation to come forward.

The accident is believed to have occurred in the general area between where I-70 and I-81 meet and mile marker 3 in Franklin County where Davison's vehicle was rammed into the median and he was shot.

"We obviously have an individual out there who was so incensed that he continued to pursue Mr. Davison and took it to that next step. He murdered an individual, for whatever slight that he perceived," Junkin said. "Will this person do it again, we don't know and we don't want to take that chance."

Junkin added that law enforcement in all three states are doing all they can to prevent this from happening again.

"We are working tirelessly to make sure that we get this person and get him off the road, quickly," Junkin said.

Representatives of the I-81 Homicide Task Force at the press conference were Franklin County District Attorney Matthew Fogal, Franklin County Coroner Jeffery Connor, PSP Chambersburg Station Commander Robert Johnson, Det. Sgt. Kurk Dominick of Maryland State Police, Sgt. Carl Mahood of the West Virginia State Police, Supervisory Special Agent Steven McQueen of the FBI, Harrisburg field office, and Trooper Adam Reed , the public information officer for Pennsylvania State Police.

"We strongly believe that someone in the Tri-state area will be able to provide information that will link the suspect vehicle to the person responsible for this horrible and senseless crime," Junkin said.

Anyone that has seen a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle is asked to call PA Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 472-8477. Callers may remain anonymous.

Staff writer Becky Metrick can be reached at (717) 262-4762

Traffic violations

Interstate-81 homicide victim Timothy Davison had nine speeding tickets and three minor accidents on his driving record, according to the Maine newspaper The Press Herald found. Despite the record his family considered Davison to be a safe driver and unwilling to engage an angry driver, the paper reported.

Davison had one speeding ticket a year for the last 10 years, the article stated, and was required to take a defensive driving course in 2010 after he was involved in three different accidents.

In one of those accidents, Davison lost control of his vehicle, rolled it and the hit and snapped a utility pole.

Robert Annese,law enforcement liaison for the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, characterized Davison's record as "an extensive record of minor violations," the Press Herald reported. Annesee also said the fact that Davison never faced criminal charges, such as driving after suspension or criminal speeding, indicated that Davison was not "among the more serious violators," according to the Press Herald.